June 24, 2006	Saturday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 27, 1427

WASHINGTON, June 23: Orders for US-made durable goods dipped 0.3 per cent in May from April, declining for the second month in a row as commercial aircraft demand remained slack, the Commerce Department said on Friday.

The continued decline in orders for big-ticket items such as airplanes, machinery and electronics surprised private economists, who had expected a rise of 0.4 per cent.

The last time there were two straight months of declines was in April-May 2004, the department said, a further sign of a slowdown in the US economy.

On a 12-month basis, orders for durable goods rose 9.5 per cent in May.

The department revised the April monthly decline down 0.1 percentage point, to 4.7 per cent.

The May slump of orders was led by a sharp 17.9 per cent decline in commercial aircraft orders, following a 29.7 per cent plunge the previous month.

Auto orders jumped 2.5 per cent after falling 2.0pc in April.

Excluding the transport sector, durable goods orders edged up 0.7 per cent, after a 1.0 per cent decline in April. —AFP